Vocational Specialist

Medicare Mental Health Centre Lismore are looking for their very first Vocational Specialist to join the team working out of Southern Cross University in Lismore.

As our Vocational Specialist, you'll play a key role in supporting individuals with mental health challenges to find meaningful employment using the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) framework. In this role, you will manage a caseload of 20 people, working closely with our clinical team to understand each client's strengths and skills. You will help clients identify and secure suitable roles and necessary education or training, while providing ongoing mentoring and post-placement support.

In addition to building relationships with clients you will develop and maintain networks and communication pathways with community members, service providers, and prospective employers.

This part-time role involves working on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays allowing you to engage with our clinicians and attend daily review meetings (while also having a long weekend every week). You'll join a lively multidisciplinary team and contribute to a culture that reflects Open Minds' values of Integrity, Curiosity, Teamwork, and Respect.

Benefits for you:

• · Work in a vibrant centre with a passionate team.
• · Opportunities for professional development and training.
• · Individual supervision and practice reflection.
• · Access to discounts at hundreds of shops (including Coles and Woolies)
• · Access to the Southern Cross University gym (which includes all workout classes).
• · Employee Referral Bonus.
• · Reception and administrative support.
• · Access to generous Salary Packaging, including $15,900 tax free.

About you:

Do you have a background in the vocational service industry or mental health and experience working with diverse communities? We are also looking for someone with:

• · Strong stakeholder engagement, partnership building, and negotiation skills within the community and employment sector.
• · Excellent client engagement skills, providing friendly, welcoming, and client-centered services.
• · Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team and independently with minimal supervision.
• · High-level written and verbal communication skills, adaptable for different audiences, along with excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• · Ideally, you will have tertiary-level qualifications in mental health, community services, business, or human resources management.

If this sounds like you this is what you will need to get started:

• · Current Driver Licence
• · Current Working with Children Check (Blue Card) or ability to hold one
• · Undergo a current and satisfactory Police Check

About Open Minds Integrated Mental Health Services

At Open Minds our values of Integrity, Curiosity, Together, People Centered and Respect are the foundation of our organisational culture. They shape everything we do from the care we provide to the collaborative environment we foster.

We have been a leading provider of mental health services to local communities for over 111 years, operating sites across NSW and QLD. Our services include:

• Headspace centres (for individuals aged 12-25)
• Medicare Mental Health Centre (formerly Head to Health) centres and satellite sites (for adults)
• Universal aftercare services
• Psychosocial support programs
• Clinical care and coordination

We are dedicated to collaborating with our health partners, stakeholders, local communities, and families to consistently deliver safe, high-quality, recovery-oriented care.

Be part of an exciting time of growth and opportunity in an organisation that you can be proud of

For queries contact Sean Hayes on or to apply hit 'Apply now'.

Diversity is Strength. We encourage people from diverse ages, gender, identity, cultural backgrounds and experience including First nations peoples, Cultural and linguistically diverse, LGBTQIA+, lived/ peer, mental health experience, to apply for this position.

Open Minds acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we all work, live and play on. We pay our respects to the Elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples. We reflect upon the millions of footprints that are embedded into the earth from our Ancestors, the pathways that were forged, the meaning they leave behind and the continuation of the traditions through the next generations.